Because I'm not Popular, I'll get Sent to Yamaku
by Fusion7
Summary: After a near-death experience from sticking vacuum cleaner into her mouth, Tomoko Kuroki is shipped off by her at-wits-end mother to Yamaku academy for students with disabilities, in the hope that the school can keep her safe. There, she meets an array of students with diverse strengths and needs who may, just may, force her to reevaluate her way of seeing things...


_(Set two years before the events of the visual novel. To make the story work, some liberties had to be taken with the KS timeframe)_

* * *

Tomoko stared at the mirror, frantically pondering what to do. What part of having a slutty appearance was she missing!? Tomoko's cousin Kii-Chan would be coming over shortly. Last year Tomoko had lied to Kii about having a boyfriend and wove all sorts of stories about him, but if Kii came now and saw her in her usual state, she'd be busted and exposed as a loser with no friends or boyfriend! Tomoko couldn't let this happen, not after all her other recent humiliations. But how? She'd already bought new clothes, but somehow it wasn't producing the needed effect. What else did she needed to do?

An idea struck her. Kiss marks! If Tomoko covered herself with fake kissmarks, she'd still be able to fool Kii-Chan! At first it didn't go well when she tried producing them herself, but right as she was losing hope, her mom came into her room with a high power vacuum cleaner. Tomoko immediately saw a solution and insisted on vacuuming the room herself. When the door was closed, she set straight to work on herself. As a test, she pressed the vacuum's nozzle against her skin, held it for several seconds, and then pulled it off with an audible pop. Sure enough, the suction had left a prominent circular bruise – just like a real kiss mark! Tomoko repeated the process again and again. "Yes! This is the ultimate slut-making machine!" thought Tomoko to herself.

Once her body was covered in vacuum-hickies, Tomoko decided it was time for the finishing touch. She took the vacuum's nozzle and pressed it over her lips.

Right away, the vacuum cleaner sealed itself around Tomoko's mouth….

…

She… she couldn't breathe! Tomoko tugged the vacuum cleaner to remove it, but it wouldn't budget this time. She pulled again, more frantically, but she still couldn't dislodge the nozzle. Panic set in. Tomoko frantically wrestled with the vacuum to no avail. She fell to her knees as her skin turned blue. Nothing was working. Her eyes began to roll backwards as she grew lightheaded. Wait! The off button! As her strength failed, her hands feebly fumbled around the vacuum, searching for the switch. If only she could…

It was too late though. Tomoko passed out before she could find the button. She collapsed as her world went dark.

Several seconds later, her mom walked in. "Tomoko, are you finished vacuuming?" she asked as she opened the door, before gasping in horror. Lying on the ground before her was her unconscious daughter, with the still-whirring vacuum cleaner firmly clamped around her mouth. Her skin had turned blue from lack of oxygen and was covered in circular marks. Aside from the occasional twitch she showed no signs of life.

Her mother ran over and turned off the vacuum cleaner before it could suck out any remaining life Tomoko still had. "Tomoki! Call an ambulance!" she screamed out to Tomoko's brother as she frantically tried to awaken her daughter. She had no idea what Tomoko could have been thinking, but right now it mattered little. She needed to save her. Tomoko was rushed to the emergency room. The doctors hooked her up to a ventilator as Tomoko's mother watched with fear and dread. Outside, Kii-chan and her mother, who had come expecting a regular visit with their relatives, instead found themselves waiting with Tomoko's brother Tomoki for any news on Kii's cousin. Tomoko's father, who had been on a business trip, booked the next available flight to see his daughter. For everyone, each second felt like a tiny eternity.

Thanks to everyone's quick action, Tomoko survived and awoke later that afternoon. She saw her overjoyed mother's face. "Tomoko! Thank goodness! You're okay!" her mom exclaimed. The two had their first real embrace in years, even if it was gingerly so as to not disturb the medical equipment. Tomoko realized that, even if the past she occasionally wondered about ending it all, she wanted to live.

The doctors put Tomoko under a period observation before the final discharge. One of them pulled Tomoko's mother aside to talk. Craning her neck, Tomoko tried to listen in as they went into a separate room.

"Miss, I know this is a delicate moment, but… I'm worried about your daughter's future… Is this the first time she's done something like… this?"

"N-No… well, nothing this bad, though… but yes…"

"I see… She's fifteen, correct?"

"Yes…"

The hospital discharged Tomoko that night. Her mom drove her and her brother home as Kii-Chan and Tomoko's aunt departed back for the countryside early. As they pulled onto the main road, Tomoko's mom turned to her daughter and said, "I don't know what to do…"

"Wha-What? This little i-incident?" stammered Tomoko. She didn't like where this was going.

"This wasn't 'little'! You almost accidentally suffocated yourself! You just don't seem to know how to keep yourself safe, do you?!" Her mom snapped. "I can't just let you keep doing stupid things that could kill you… We'll need to talk about this later." The rest of the car ride was silent. Any remaining joy Tomoko felt for still being alive gave way to dread and apprehension. When they arrived home, Tomoko's mother dismissed Tomoko and Tomoki to their rooms. From her room, Tomoko heard her mom pacing, stopping, picking up the phone to talk to Tomoko's dad, and then resume pacing. This wasn't how she normally reacted to Tomoko stepping out of line. This was a bad sign. Whatever she was pondering, Tomoko didn't like it.

Then her dad finally arrived home, back prematurely from his business trip. Exhausted but relieved, he came to Tomoko's room and embraced her. "Tomoko, you're safe," he simply said. Tomoko managed to return an awkward half-hug. Her mind was elsewhere. The encounter was short, and her father soon left to get some rest before he'd have to return to work, adding "Don' worry, we'll figure something out."

The next day passed with a tense, uneasy air. Tomoko spent it almost entirely at home, just like most summer days. The times she saw her mother, she was at her desk, researching ideas on her laptop, talking with her father over the phone some more while he was at work, leaving voice mails on other, unfamiliar lines. What sort of terrible thing was she planning? Was her mom going to force her to seek therapy? Make her take some kind of behavioral medication that would scream "I'm a big retard who needs meds to function" to anyone who saw it? The anxiety Tomoko felt watching this eventually proved too much, and she retreated to her room for the rest of the day. She tried to calm herself with her usual otome games and Youtube videos, but she couldn't escape the sensation of dread gnawing at her. Tomoko half-expected her mom to barge into her room at any moment and announce her sentence.

It came the following morning. Tomoko's mother sat her down after breakfast to talk. Her father had already left for work, and Tomoki was not involved, so it was just the two of them.

"Tomoko, I can't always keep you out of danger like this, like when you're at school or wandering around at dusk… I just can't." said her mom in a serious tone. "Therefore, for your own sake and that of the family… I'm going to pull you out of your current high school and send you to a special one which can better keep you out of trouble like what just happened, until you learn how to stay safe."

It took Tomoko several seconds to process those words. Pull out… Special… Out of trouble… "Mom! Wha-" Her composure immediately broke down. "You can't do this to me! I'm not a retard or ugly cripple! This was just a one off incident!"

"No this wasn't! Whenever I turn my back, you always seem to do something stupider than before! What about the time you covered yourself in soda and walked around with fire ants crawling over you?"

"Mom, those weren't fire-!"

"Or when you wandered alone into the seediest part of town at night without telling anyone, because you decided you wanted to become a night club hostess!?"

"M-mom! –"

"These weren't the only ones, and now this!? You almost died!" Her mom continued as Tomoko's words failed her. "I previously hoped you'd grow out of it, but what just happened with the vacuum cleaner says otherwise! You should know by age 15 how not to accidentally kill yourself with common household objects! For all I know, one day while I'm not looking you may run off to try a long distance bike route after seeing something on TV – even though you still need training –!"

"Shut the fuck up!" interrupted Tomoko, snapping. "I am completely normal and fine! I am not going to –!"

 _Slap_. Tomoko recoiled backwards and rubbed the puffy red mark her mom's hand had left. Her mother glared silently at her, seething. But then she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "This isn't a matter of choice anymore," she resumed. "The status quo can't continue. After your dad's pay-cut, I'm taking a part-time job soon and won't be able to constantly look after you or teach you how to be safe. Neither can your current school Haramaku, it seems. Anyway, there's this nice boarding school in a neighboring prefecture that caters to people with special needs and has 24 hour staff in case anything happens. It's named Yamaku, and I've heard good things about it. I don't know too much about special education or that sort of thing, but I do know that you need help, and this seems like the best option. I've already left a voicemail with them and should hear back from them shortly. If all goes well, you will transfer there at the end of the summer!"

"Bu…But…"

"No buts. It's for your own good." Tomoko sulked to her room as her mom signaled the end of the discussion. Slamming the door, she flopped onto her bed. Despair and anger swirled through her mind. Her mom… was going to send her off to a _special_ school? How dare she equate Tomoko with crippled or retarded kids or whatever! This was bullshit! Sure, Tomoko had never particularly liked her current school to begin with, but at least it had no stigma attached to going there. How would people react!? Being unpopular was once Tomoko's overarching concern, but now it felt like the least of her worries. This – this would be worse than unpopularity! Now, everybody who knew her, even one friend Yuu Naruse, would know that she is a "special" student… Tears welled in Tomoko's eyes as she imagined everyone whispering "retard" or "loser weirdo" behind her back.

Like they often did back in late elementary and early middle school…

Tomoko heard the phone ring. Her mom instantly picked it up. It was Yamaku Academy. Pressing her ear against the door, Tomoko listened in on their conversation, or at the least bits and pieces of what she overheard her mother saying.

"Thank you for returning my call. I – I have a daughter who I'd like to enroll in your school… She needs significant help learning how to take care of herself and doesn't really know how to go through life…"

"What do you mean that you don't cater to those sorts of need!? Surely you must have physically disabled students who have at least some emotional or mental health needs!? Why couldn't you help my daughter then!?…"

"I mean, she does have occasional carpal tunnel issues…"

"Look, just recently she almost suffocated herself by jamming a vacuum cleaner up her mouth! She needs help, and I can't find any other places to turn! I don't know where else to look!"

Tomoko took her ear away from the door and went back to her normal summer activities. It sounded like… her mother was having trouble! Yes! It sounded like this Yamaku place only takes people with physical disabilities! Perhaps then they would refuse to take her, and her mom would have to let her go back to school as normal! Or something like that. Then Tomoko could just go on with her regular life! Yes!

She looked up at the ceiling in half-prayer. "I don't even really believe in gods, but if I don't have to go to Yamaku I will head straight to the shrine and give my thanks!" thought Tomoko, full of hope. "Gods! Listen to me! I may have been completely disrespectful to you in the past, but if you bail me out of this mess, I will become your most devoted follower ever!"

With that display of piety done, she rolled over to grab her Nintendo DS and started up one of her favorite Otome games. Today wasn't shaping up to be such a bad day overall. But just as she was getting into the game though, her mom opened the door. "Good news Tomoko!" she exclaimed. "Yamaku is going to be your new school! The front office was worried at first since apparently the school mostly caters to physical disabilities. You might not match their average student profile. But in the end, we agreed that this still is the best option. Get your bags ready, because this is a boarding school. At the end of summer, I will take you and drop your off at your new school."

"I… see", said Tomoko. When her mom left the room, she looked back up at the ceiling.

"Damnit whatever worthless deities let this happen! I hate you!"

The rest of the summer passed uneventfully, all too quickly for Tomoko. She played videogames. She tried to distract herself with anime and manga. She met with Yuu one more time at a café. She couldn't bring herself to tell her friend that she was going to transfer to a faraway boarding school, never mind a school for disabled people. When Yuu asked about the next semester, Tomoko stammered some generic response before immediately changing the topic to anime shows. Later that day, when Tomoko was back home, a slight sense of anger bubbled inside her. Yuu had gotten much worse grades than Tomoko ever did. Yuu should be the one who has to go to a special education institution, not Tomoko!

Admittedly, Tomoko's grades weren't exactly stellar either. She sighed, cursing the cruel world that is secondary education.

The day soon came for Tomoko to move into the dorms. She and her family loaded all of her suitcases into the car. They contained not only "essential" items like school supplies, clothes, and toiletries, but as many of her creature comforts as she could fit into them. Her videogames, her favorite manga volumes, her big circular kawaii-face pillow. Even her desktop computer was coming along. If Yamaku was doomed to be Tomoko's new home, she was at least going to bring as much of her old home with her to make it bearable.

When everything was loaded up, she and her parents began the long drive to Yamaku. The ride was quiet. Tomoko mostly spent her time on her DS or phone, or staring out the window. For a moment, she silently fantasized about the car breaking down and them not being able to make it to Yamaku, but then she realized that they'd be stranded far from home as well. The fantasy crumbled.

Eventually they reached the academy itself. Getting out of the car, Tomoko looked at the prominent gate way and the imposing buildings behind it. It didn't look like one of those insane asylums featured in pop culture, but it also wasn't particularly appealing. There were some other students who looked like they were moving in, more likely returning from summer break, but it was clear that other students had stayed at the school the entire time. A staff member or teacher or whatever welcomed Tomoko and her family to Yamaku before leading them to her dorm room. While her parents unpacked, Tomoko was led to the nurse's office for an official medical intake. Again a brief hope flickered in Tomoko that whoever saw her would say that she couldn't attend because she wasn't crippled in anyway, but her hopes were dashed. The head nurse noted her lack of a serious physical disability, but said that this wasn't a bar for attending, and hopefully Yamaku could help her with any other issues she faced. As long as she wasn't diagnosed with a serious mental disability (Which she wasn't, at least officially), she could attend.

It was an awkward meeting. Tomoko almost wanted to lash out, but quite frankly she could barely work up the nerve to say anything other than basic responses.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Tomoko paid little attention to her hall mates, nor did she really meet anyone at the dining hall. That night in her room, Tomoko lay on her bed and stared out the window, clutched her Kawaii-face pillow. Rage and humiliation bubbled up. Why did she deserve to be locked in her!? Had she committed genocide in a previous life? She wasn't a cripple, so why was she being thrown in with them now!?

However, Tomoko was too tired to really indulge those feelings. It had been a long day. "I… I just hope there are some cute boys here," she thought as she let herself collapse back onto the bed.

* * *

 _(This is my first attempt at a crossover. Both series are relatively new to me, but the fanfiction idea popped into my head quickly. How would Tomoko react to a non "normal" learning environment? Could this be a positive experience that helps Tomoko grow as a character? Admittedly Yamaku is not the perfect setting for this since it caters to sensory and physical disabilities first and foremost, but this could be an interesting plot element in and of itself. There's also the question of balancing lighthearted and more serious moments. Both series deal with delicate subjects but in different ways, so a balancing act is crucial. Hopefully I can make this work.)_

Please Review! :)


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